"Where are Duan Yue and the others? Didn't they find my father?"
Lu Qingwan couldn't believe that with the Reincarnation Palace's strength, they couldn't find a living person after half a month.
"They found the Marquis as soon as they arrived in the northwest.
But the Marquis refused to retreat after a defeat. He insisted on helping the Prince recapture Beixiao Pass.
As a result, during the tug-of-war to capture Beixiao Pass, he was poisoned for some reason. Duan Yue said the symptoms were very strange, and during the onset of the poison, he was utterly unrecognizable.
He even injured several personal guards. It was only by working with the Prince that they could temporarily control the Marquis."
Upon saying this, Li Qing pursed his lips. "However, the Marquis still had several relapses during this period, and the situation is not optimistic.
Therefore, the Prince's intention is for him to deal with Cheng Jiuxiao, while you, Your Highness, should immediately rush to Sai Bei to personally detoxify the Marquis."
Lu Qingwan slowly put down the brush and ink in her hand, calmly organizing the items on the table.
With her eyelids lowered, she asked him, "The news from the golden eagle was at most one day after the incident.
The palace probably doesn't know about my father's affairs yet, right?"
Li Qing nodded vigorously. "It takes at least two days for an urgent dispatch from the border to reach Shangjing. I haven't heard of any urgent border dispatches entering the city recently."
"Then prepare the horses. You stay in Shangjing, and Li Su, Tong Ru Yue, and others will accompany me to the northwest..."
Before she could finish speaking, a sharp eagle's cry pierced the sky. Li Su burst through the door, "Your Highness, hurry and take a look, the golden eagles, golden eagles all over the sky!"
Lu Qingwan thought of the golden eagle she had bribed with pills. She rushed out and saw a flock of golden eagles circling above the manor. Seeing Lu Qingwan emerge, the leading golden eagle swooped directly towards Wutong Courtyard.
Li Qing and Ru Yue quickly blocked Lu Qingwan, but Lu Qingwan pushed them aside. "Go prepare the carriage and luggage. You don't need to worry about this."
Li Qing had no choice but to go prepare. Ru Yue kept looking back at Lu Qingwan as she walked, her steps hesitant, inching along the wall.
Soon, the golden eagles dancing in the sky all landed in the courtyard. Lu Qingwan naturally instructed Li Su, "Tell everyone to leave. You guard the entrance."
Li Su guarded Lu Qingwan's ability to understand animal languages more closely than she did herself.
Upon hearing this, he turned and ran out, along with the maids, servants, and guards in the courtyard, and even the hidden guards who were protecting them in secret.
Lu Qingwan was slightly stunned but didn't stop them.
She put on a bracer from Feng Xi Wu on her forearm, and the golden eagle skillfully landed on it.
It proudly raised its head, its wingtips pointing at the younger eagles behind it, and let out a contented cooing sound.
Lu Qingwan scratched the golden eagle's chin, looking a little helpless. "You've returned at the worst possible time. I'm about to leave, and I won't have time to take care of you."
The golden eagle shook its head and hopped to the side, gesturing for Lu Qingwan to follow. Lu Qingwan followed, and amidst the flock of golden eagles, she saw a spotless little darling.
It was a white eagle with pure white plumage, except for its beak and talons, which were crimson. It squatted obediently among the other golden eagles.
The other eighteen golden eagles surrounded it like knights. Seeing Lu Qingwan approach, they all warily dragged their wings on the ground, looking as if they were ready to attack at any moment.
Shen Tang Zhou's golden eagle cooed a few times, and the other eagles retracted their defensive posture.
Lu Qingwan slowly reached out her hand and scratched the white eagle's neck. "Little one, you are so beautiful?"
The white eagle haughtily raised its head, and its response of "Naturally" made Lu Qingwan laugh.
"You're still a chick, aren't you?
Your companions are very protective of you?"
Lu Qingwan took out the prepared pills and spread them in her palm. "Here, this is the medicine I asked Zhou Zhou to tell you about.
Are there any of you who need to have your nails and beaks replaced? Try it. If the effect isn't good, I'll improve it."
The white eagle cooed twice. Lu Qingwan pointed at Shen Tang Zhou's eagle. "Zhou Zhou, it's this one. Its owner hasn't given it a name, so I've given it a nickname based on its owner's name.
You are all the same. If you are willing to follow me in the future, you will have your own names, just like Zhou Zhou."
The white eagle dipped its head forward and cooed, then turned and squatted beside Lu Qingwan. Lu Qingwan smiled. "You want to follow me?"
The white eagle continued to coo, this time for a longer period. Lu Qingwan understood. "You're saying that only if you are willing to follow me will they be willing to follow me?
Are you their king?"
The white eagle proudly raised its head and let out a coo, and all the golden eagles lowered their heads.
Lu Qingwan smiled and gave the white eagle a different pill. "Then I'll trouble you to persuade them. I want to assign a master to each of them, who will transmit information for me in the future.
If they are all willing, my companions and I are willing to treat them as comrades, sharing life and death from now on, until the end of our lives."
Lu Qingwan's voice was not quiet. Upon hearing this, not only the white eagle but also the other golden eagles were stunned.
The white eagle cooed for a while, disbelieving that a human was willing to share life and death with golden eagles.
Lu Qingwan looked at the golden eagles. "You are free. If one day, you feel that your master is not worthy of your continued loyalty, you can leave at any time. I will never forcibly retain you."
A noblewoman in rich brocade attire was talking eloquently to the flock of golden eagles in the courtyard. The scene looked somewhat peculiar.
But Li Su watched attentively, seeing how the fierce golden eagles became docile under Lu Qingwan's heartfelt words.
Just as he was marveling at how remarkable his Princess Consort was, he heard Lu Qingwan say, "Summon Ru Yue and the others. And Li Qing..."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Li Su thought Lu Qingwan had some important matter to instruct, and he ran to find them.
A moment later, a group of people arrived at Wutong Courtyard. Seeing the golden eagles all over the ground, they were all stunned into silence.
Lu Qingwan called out to Ru Yue, "December, each person will be assigned one eagle. Come and choose yourself."
The group was first stunned, then their envious gazes all fell on Ru Yue.
Ru Yue's round eyes darted around as she spotted the white eagle beside Lu Qingwan. Lu Qingwan let out a cold laugh. "Don't even think about it, this one is mine."
Ru Yue chuckled and went forward with her female companions, cautiously approaching the golden eagles while asking Lu Qingwan, "But, Master, what about Duan Yue and the others?"
"You help train them. When they return, they can claim their own."
Lu Qingwan said, tilting her head to look at Li Qing and Li Su. "You two also, help raise them for Li Jin and Li Yang. Later, call Wu Ying over to pick one."
Li Qing was instantly satisfied and counted on his fingers. "Your Highness, there's one left?"
Lu Qingwan rolled her eyes. "I worked so hard to persuade Zhou Zhou to bring so many golden eagles back. Do you think I would forget to keep one for the Prince?"
Li Su laughed gleefully. Lu Qingwan's small face stiffened. "Hurry up. The departure time of two quarters of an hour cannot change."